Sante Publique France have said today that they have noted "a new trend towards an increase in the circulation" of the coronavirus. It said there had been a 14% increase in the weekly numbers of confirmed cases compared to the previous week. The body said that the increase in numbers was associated with an increase in the number of people being screened for the virus. However, it added that the estimates of the effective reproduction rate of the virus, also known as the effective R rate, is "significantly higher" than one in the Provence Alpes Cotes d'Azur region, as well as in the Pays de la Loire and Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
The Mayor of Nice, Christian Estrosi has been re-elected as President of the Nice Côte d'Azur Metropolitan Area. His re-election was widely expected and he received 116 out of the 130 votes cast.
The French Minister of Health, Olivier Veran, has called on people to maintain "daily vigilence" against the coronavirus. He said that he'd observed a relaxation of "certain behaviours in certain situations". He urged people not to forget that the virus is circulating and to observe barrier gestures.
The Paris prosecutor's office said this morning that it's investigating "massive" fraud in partial unemployment claims. Initial investigations suggest that the names and identification numbers of over 1,000 businesses have been used fraudulently without those businesses being aware of claims being made in their name. The prosecutor's office said that 1.7 million euros had been paid out so far to fraudsters using this method, with 6 million euros of payments being suspended after discovery of the crimes.
The new French Prime Minister Jean Castex has this afternoon been continuing discussions with union leaders and employers. The Prime Minister, along with Minister of Labor, Elisabeth Borne, held a full day of discussions yesterday. The meeting was intended to be about pension reforms but unions raised issues regarding employment and unemployment because of the coronavirus crisis. This morning the Prime Minister and the Minister of the Interior were in Dijon to visit the district where violence broke out last month. The Prime Minister promised additional police resources for the area.
More than 9 out of 10 students passed this year’s baccalaureate in both the Alpes Maritimes and the Var. Students in Monaco also did well with the International School of Monaco announcing a 100% pass rate in the International Baccalaureate Diploma with several students gaining very high grades - two have been awarded places at Oxford University and others also gained places at other prestigious universities.
The city of Nice is partially closing the Voie Mathis at night to reduce noise pollution for local residents. As from this Sunday the south carriageway will be closed from midnight to 5am from Sundays to Thursdays between St Augstin and Magnan.
Meteo France have a Yellow warning for thunderstorms in the Alpes Maritimes until 9pm this evening. Most of the storms are expected to be inland.
A charity triathlon is taking place this Tuesday 14th of July here on the Riviera. The event is organized for the benefit of the children's cancer organization " Tous pour Hugo" ( all for Hugo ) which was established as a fondation in 2012. The 6 athletes will start by swimming between Villefranche and Nice and will then cycle in the Mercantour to finish with a 15 km trail. Each athlete will donate 5 euros per kilometer and you can also participate on the website Leetchi.com for the "Tous Pour Hugo" foundation. You can also follow the race on social media.
BUSINESS
Video app TikTok has stopped operating in Hong Kong, according to a notice posted on its website. Earlier this week the company said that it was intending to cease operations there after China imposed a new security law. Other social media companies such as Facebook and Twitter are also reportedly reviewing their operations in Hong Kong.
In the UK, Royal Mail has been fined 1.5 million pounds by it's regulator Ofcom for late delivery of mail. Ofcom requires 93% of first class post to be delivered within one working day and Royal Mail didn't meet that target during its 2018-19 financial year, achieving only 91.5%.
Ratings agency Moody's has said that it expects UK GDP to fall by 10.1% this year. That would be the largest peak to trough fall amongst the G20 group of nations.
SPORT
Football... Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has said that Jordan Henderson will be out for the rest of this season. The Liverpool captain limped off the pitch after the match against Brighton on Wednesday and is suffering from a knee injury.
Scotland and Sheffield United player Oli McBurnie has been fined over 28,000 pounds for drink driving. The court in Leeds reduced the fine by 5% from 150% of his weekly wage for his guilty plea, which meant the fine went down from £30,000 to £28,500. He was also banned from driving for 16 months.
Motorsports...Charles Leclerc has been given a warning by the FIA after breaking Formula 1's coronavirus protocols. The Ferrari driver returned to his home in Monaco this week after the Austrian Grand Prix and was pictured with friends. Personnel are required to remain within their 'bubbles' between races. Leclerc said that he'd been tested twice before coming back to Monaco and both tests were negative.
A new optional regional transport tax for businesses, introduced in France’s 2025 budget, aims to fund eco-friendly mobility projects. ...
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A judge has authorised a dive to inspect the wreckage of a plane in the sea off Antibes. The plane crashed into the Mediterranean on September 11 1968...
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In France, drinking water is heavily contaminated with "forever pollutants," particularly trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), as revealed by two studies from ...
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The trial of the Tunisian man accused of the murder of three people in the Nice Basilica attack is continuing in Paris. Yesterday the families of the ...
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Four cities in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (PACA) region made Booking.com's 2025 list of the "most welcoming destinations in France." ...
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